The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1887-02-23
PRISON LIFE In SIBERIA.
AN ACCOUNT OF THE FAMOUS RUS
SIAN PENAL SETTLEMENT
More than 10000 Criminals Ex-
lied Yearly-Political Prisons
The Life Led nv ExfIaa

More than 10000 Criminals Ex-
lied Yearly-PoIitical Prisons
The Life Led by Exiles.
For nearly two centuries, writes
Thomas w. Knox, in the New York |
Star, Siberia has been famous or infa-
nous, as place of banishment for those
who offend against the social or political
laws Of Russia. Peter the Great began
the transportation of criminals to Sibe-
ria In 1910; previous to that date the
country had been used as a land OF ban
ishment for officials whom the govern
ment wished to get out of the way with
out putting them to death, but the num-
Der of these deported individuals was not
| large. Ever since Peters day the work
of exiling criminals to Siberia has been
kept up; the ordinary travel of this sort
is about 10, 600 annually, and sometimes
| it reaches as high as ~, 600 or $4,000.
Outside of this deportation Is that OF
! revolutionists, nihilists and others who
offend politically rather than criminally,
| though any opposition to the autocratic
| power of the Czar is likely to be re-
| garded as criminal in the eyes of the
| Russian government.
Sometimes the political prisoners are
mingled with the criminals, but ordi-
narily they are kept apart. In former
| times the prisoners were compelled to
walk to their destinations, and the jour
ney from St. Petersburg to the regions
| beyond Lake Baikal, a distance of nearly
| 1000 miles, occupied two years, and
sometimes more, and many of the exiles
died on the road from fatigue and pri-
vations. 1t was found more economical
! to transport the offenders in wagons or
| sleighs, or by rail and steamboat when
| possible, than to require them to walk,
and for the last twenty years or more
| five-sixths of the exies have been car
| ried in this way. At points varying
! from ten to twenty miles apart along the
| great road through Siberia there are
houses for the lodgment of prisoners at
night. They afford a shelter from the
weather, but very little else, as they are
almost always badly ventilated and
very dirty, and occupants sleep on the
bare floor or benches, without any other
covering than the clothes they wear.
Sometimes in summer the officer in charge
of convoy of prisoners will permit them
to sleep out of doors at night, instead of
entering the filthy stations, but in such
a case he requires the personal promise
of every exile in the convoy that he will
make no attempt to escape, and he
furthermore makes the whole party re-
sponsible for the individual conduct.
Under such circumstances if one of the
prisoners should violate his parole and
run away. no further favors would be
shown to the rest, and they would be
put on low rations of food and other
wise punished. 1t is needless to say
they take good care that the promise is
kept. This privilege is accorded only
to the convoys of poli+ical offenders.
The criminal classes are 2ot considered
worthy Of such confidence in their honor.
Prison life in Siberia is of many va.
rieties, according to the offenses of diff
ferent individuals and the sentences
which have been decreed in their cases.
The lowest sentence is to simple Danish
ment for three years, and the highest to
hard labor for lie. The simple exile
without imprisonment is appointed to
live in certain town, district or province,
and must report to the police at stated
intervals. He may engage in certain
specified occupations, or rather in any
occupation which is not on prohibited
list for example, he may teach music or
painting but he may not teach languages,
as they afford the opportunity for propa-
eating revolutionary ideas. He may be-
come merchant, farmer, mechanic, con-
tractor, or anything else of that sort, and
it not infrequently happens that exiles
enjoy "a degree of prosperity in their new
homes that they did not have in Eu
ropean Russia Exles and theN sons
have become millionaires in Sil&ria
former Vanderbilt Of Irkootsk, thA capi
| tai of Eastern Siberia, was the sOTt of an
exile serf, his enormous fortune having
been gained in the overland tea trade
Many exiles become so attached to Sibe-
ria that they remain after Their term
of Punishment is ended, but it should be
| under TODD that their cases are the eX-
cant ons rather than the rule. The wife
and immature children of an exile may
follow or accompany him at the expense
OF the Government, but they cannot re-
turn to Europe until his term of service
has expired. The name of prisoner
or exile" is never applied to the ban
ished individuals; in the language of
the people they are called 'unfortu-
mates, " anG in official documents they
are termed involuntary emigrants"
OF those sentenced to forced labor
some are ordered TO become colonists;
they are furnished with the tools and
materials for building a house on plot
of ground allotted to them, and for three
years can receive rations from the nearest
government station, but when the three
years have expired they are expected TO
support themselves. If they were sent
to the southern and therefore fertile parts
of siberia their lot would not be a severe
one, but the most of these colonists are
assigned to the northern regions, VIII re
the support of life from tilling the soil
or from hunting and fishing is a matter
of great di-aoulty, Those who are kept
in prison and sentenced to hard labor are
employed in mines, mills, foundries OF
on the public roads. Many of them wear
chains, which extend from a girdle
around the waist TO each ankle, and ef-
fectually preclude the possibility of run
ming away, Their life is hard one, as
their food IS coarse and often limited in
quantity. 1t is bad enough under kind
hearted Overseers and uperintendents,
and terrible where the masters are cruel,